Young Blood
by Cupid'sAddiction
Summary: Activity of the vampiric nature lay dormant for 7yrs in SantaCarla, after all but one of the Boys died out. But what happens when a swarm of reckless young rogues threaten Davids home & any chance of his beautiful but eccentric new friend falling for him?
1. Intro: Fog

**Hey first time writer here sooooo here goes. I'm suggesting a song or two that will go with each chapter that you can listen to while you read. Please read and review :) thnx**

**Song to Listen to: Closer by Kings of Leon**

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**Intro**

Fog, a black, impenetrable, growing thing, crept silently through his mind. It fluttered over his eyelids, made him wish he could just open his eyes and… forget.

Dead. All of them. Dead. The word struck his heart like sharp knife, peircing it and mangling it and… ripping it apart. He was the only one left, and had just narrowly avoided his fate. And, as he lay there, soaked in his own blood, the hunger hit him in a surging wave. And he chuckled faintly, a demented, pained sort of laugh, at the irony behind his own blood lust. Even at such a time like this, the hunger was hard to ignore.

He gingerly lifted one arm, his eyes still shut. Already, he could feel the minor cuts healing. He ran a hand through his spiky blonde hair, out of habit. No doubt he would heal; no doubt he would survive this. But the others wouldn't. Or, rather, they didn't…

With a last bit of strength, he pulled himself into a sitting position, and, wrenched open his stubborn eyelids. The fog cleared.

But the memories remained…


	2. Haunted House

**Yea! i finally got chapter one out. lol. Please read and review. Thanks :)**

**Song to listen to: Camisado **by** Panic! at the Disco; Devil Woman **by** Cliff richard; This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race **by** Fall Out Boy**

**Why? Hmmm because they just seemed to sorta go with the mood of the story this chapter. I wanted something sort of slow, and a little eerie. See what you think. :)**

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Chapter One

Seven Years Later

"SSHHHHHH!! They're gonna hear you!" whispered an irritable voice from behind the shadows of the forlorn, overgrown shrubs beside the abandoned Emerson home.

"Who's gonna hear me? The ghosts? _Come_ on, Chloe! No one's lived in this house for years." came the not so whispered reply.

Four shadowy figures were huddled behind a patch of thick bushes. From the outbursts of high pitched giggles and feminine voices an observer would quite easily be able to assume it was four girls. The one who had spoken first and shushed the others, apparently called Chloe, sat, crouched, peering nervously at the menacing old farmhouse. She spoke.

"Wha-what if there's vandals or gangs or-or _murderers_ livin' in there, Lily?" She addressed the girl who had previously snapped at her. "Or hobos?!" This got a rise out of everyone and soon they were all laughing, breaking the night stillness.

The girl called Lily, seemed a bit out of place with the others. First off, an obvious difference was age, for she was a good two years or so older than the others. But if one listened to her, they would note she spoke with a certian authority, an intuition the others did have. In short, she wasn't superficial like most of them. A bit more worn around the edges, is how she liked to think of it.

"Amber, you go up and knock on the door, or ring the doorbell if there is one. Show us youre not scared. Proove it." Lily gestured to the dark-skinned, dark-haired girl who sat farthest away from the house. The girl, Amber, went wide-eyed, but quickly composed herself again. Lily stared her down, smirked, and said, "Come on."

"Well, _I_ think Chloe should go up too, and proove she's not afraid." Amber quickly covered for her own hesistation.

Lily and the other girl made an "oooooooo!" sort of noise egging them on, and Chloe sat, jaw agape, angry at Amber for involving her.

"Ha. I'll do it if you two are too damn scared to ding dong ditch a freakin' abandoned house." The last girl tried to intimidate the others. A grin formed on her lips.

"Shut up, Brooke. Whadda you know?" retorted Amber.

"You shut up. Go on up there and ring it then-"

"Hey, do it yerself y-"

"Dang it, you-"

Their voices melded together and became more of a roaring hum as Lily watched more than listened to them argue. She got up, and, not to her surprise, they paid no attention to her movements. "Come on guys, don't get all bitchy on me tonight." She said it more to herself than to them. It wouldn't have made a difference anyway.

She crept away into the still night air, and on towards the Emerson house. Each step she took seemed to echo behind her. The cold, dry ground felt ready for every new step, pulling her forward, even though her mind said turn back. For a cool summer night, the air seemed too still, too… stagnant, like a great darkness or thickness clung to the air. Yet still, Lily trudged on, stubborn as ever. One foot came down upon an old wooden stair that creaked and groaned, regaining its strength after so long a time with an absence of weight upon it.

The three other girls ceased their malicious muttering and turned just in time to see Lily, the brave and the bold, reach for the screendoor's oblong handle.

"Lily! What are you _doing_? Come back!" said Chloe, in more of whisper scream than real yelling.

"_Now_ you notice." Sighed Lily, rolling her eyes and cautiously placing her hand on the doorknob. And, as if contact with part of the house had sparked memories, new and old, she recalled the stories, of the Emerson house, the rumors that floated through the school halls, in the girl's bathroom, and from person to person, changing a little each time so that by the end, the message is so morphed from the original no one really knows the truth. Kind of like that old game, Telephone, thought Lily.

Lily told the stories over to herself in her mind. _Well, rumor has it, that seven years back, a family, just an ordinary family, moved here to Santa Carla. Their parents had been through a divorce, and their mom got the two kids, like she shuddda. But they soon learned, as do we all, no one and no thing can be trusted if its from Santa Carla. The older kid, Mitchell or Michael or somethin', got into some gangs, and a whole buncha trouble. The gangs came to his house and slaughtered 'em all, save the youngest kid, who ended up killin' off a few of the murderers, but not all. _She paused for effect. She could picture the scene vividly in her head, hear the screams, smell the blood, felt the pressure of fear in the air. She licked her lips and continued on. _So the kid lived, but carried the guilt and grudge heavy in his heart. He ran away, far away, and hasn't been seen since. _

_Or atleast, that's how the stories go._

A shiver ran up Lily's spine. She could practically feel the other's eyes on her as she groped for the handle in the darkness. The knob turned, creaking, rusty no doubt, and she pulled the screen door open. The horrible, terrible groan that came from it shattered the air, and seemed to cover over all the other noises of the night. Except for the shifting of the wood on the second floor of the Emerson house, that creaking of wood planks that should not have existed, that noise that was quite obviously caused by something living, that single, quiet yet prominent noise that struck fear into the pale faced girl on the porch's heart, that girl named Lily…


	3. Blood Lust

**Song to listen to: Sound of Madness **by** Shinedown**

**Special thanks to ****XxPhantomHalexX, imaginationsation, and MrsDwayne for my first reviews. thanks guys :) And thanks to all the other readers out there.**

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Chapter Two

_Blood. Young blood. Fresh blood. _He could smell it, coating the air. He could practically taste it, the scent lingering on the back of his throat. He hadn't tasted human blood for weeks, and animal blood never seemed to quite quench his thirst. But the bitter flames of hunger ravaged his insides. It made him weak, physically and mentally, his self control drained out of him.

He knelt down as the young girl turned the door knob on the floor below and pulled open the screen door, the rusty hinges groaning in protest. He leaned down toward the floor, and the old planks creaked under his weight. _Shit. She probably heard that._ He was edgy tonight, paranoid he might lose his first kill in days.

She entered the house, slowly, taking small steps towards what was left of the living room. The fireplace looked as if it had caved in, or rather exploded outward, leaving bricks and debris strewn across the wood floor. The scent of her blood was overpowering. He shifted uneasily.

He shouldn't have come back here, this place was too full of memories. _It was an even worse idea to have slept here today,_ he thought to himself, recalling the terrible nightmares of the previous day. He would have to move on soon anyway, he'd been too careless at the boardwalk, where the hunger had taken control of him, and he killed, agianst his better judgement, in front of a small group of people. It wouldn't have been so bad if he wouldn't have snapped her neck. That pretty much sent everyone into hysterics, as they heard her twisted scream. He placed a hand to his temple. He hated his brutality sometimes, yet other times, like when he still had a clan, when he still had someone like him, he loved the thrill of the hunt, the kill, loved the feel of warm, fresh blood on his lips, trickling down his neck, forming pools of red on the ground…

He clenched his fists, a snarl formed in the back of his throat. _Damn... It..._ It was too much for him to take, the thought of blood, the smell of it, so close. He leapt up, nearly silently, to the part of the floor directly above the front door. He stared down at the hole in the floor. He breifly closed his eyes, and opened them as he felt the breeze from jumping down to the first floor. His long rough black overcoat flowed out behind him, bathed in the silvery moonlight that flowed from the holes in the walls and roof. He landed, kneeling on one leg, let his eyes close again, and breathed deep the scent of the intruding girl's blood. He heard her gasp, probably restraining a scream. His lips twisted into a crooked smile. And he let go, let go of common sense, of moral, of all emotions except for… hunger.

_Ah the thrill of the hunt._


	4. Dark Mystery

Hello again guys! :) Thanks for the awesome reviews and some well needed writing inspiration! *Phew* already to chapter 3... and probably not even half way done...

Song to listen to: Into the Ocean by Blue October; Closer by Kings of Leon(I think this is gonna be the theme song of the book or something...)

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**Chapter Three**

Her face turned pale, paler than normal, and she felt the breathe whoosh out of her, and her courage drained. A pungent scent rushed up Lily's nostrils; it was a sort of old smell, like something you might smell in a pawn shop or a consignment store or maybe at your grandma's house, somewhere that there were a lot of antiques, some old spice or perfume or something. It wasn't a bad smell, it was almost comforting, almost… enticing.

She had heard the loud thump on the old wood floor behind her, had seen the dust fall from the rafters overhead, had felt the eyes that seemed to be boring into the back of her head, but something inside Lily stopped her legs from moving, she couldn't bear to turn around to see what was there.

"Lily! Are you okay?! L-"

"Shut up! You're screaming! She's fine."

Lily heard the two voices echoing from the bushes farther away where her friends were hiding. Some friends they were. She turned around.

There, standing in the moonlight cast down from the hole in the ceiling, cloaked in a long rough, black overcoat, was the most handsome guy Lily thought she had ever seen in her life, although she usually made rash assumptions like that. His hair was bleach blonde, almost white, and was spiked up wildly in the front and longer in the back, the tips illuminated by starlight. His eyes were probably the most striking feature; they were bright blue barely tinted with turquoise, like pools of the most pristine ocean water. He didn't have a full beard but his chin had short white blonde stubble covering it, and it went with the rest of his look. He wore black leather gloves, which, thought Lily, made him appear even more mysterious, not to mention the fact that he had just jumped about 10 feet down from the attic and seemed to land perfectly, like it was nothing. He was young, maybe early twenties, very late teens. _Maybe a few years older than, me, but not much… _Lily thought, who herself was seventeen going on eighteen.

"Lily! Lily?" called Chloe from the bushes.

Lily opened her mouth to answer, not even sure what to say. The boy put a finger to his lips and made a shushing noise, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Lily gulped, but couldn't help but noticing his brilliant smile, even though it was only half of one. He took a step towards her.

He stood coolly, casually, as if the two were old friends. _Who the hell _is _this guy? _Lily thought. "Who-" She only uttered a single syllable before a sharp, loud creak thundered above them. Dust shook loose from the middle rafter above. The man looked up, his eyes focused on that rafter.

"Shit," he managed to get out just before the beam cracked. "Move!" he yelled, his voice gruff, although he didn't budge an inch. The wooden rafter running along the ceiling was splitting straight through the middle. And Lily was still standing right beneath it, looking from the man to the rafter and back again. She took a step back but not enough to be clear of the debris when it would fall. So many thoughts ran through her mind right now, she just stood there, like a deer in the headlights, looking into those vivid blue eyes… and somehow she felt safe…

He shook his head, looking at her. He groaned in irritation, and, rolling his eyes, ran towards her.

And the last thing Lily saw was his black cloak flowing behind him, as he ran towards her, and the last thing she heard was the final crack of the beam as it collapsed under the weight of the ceiling and came crashing down…


	5. David

Hi again guys. Thanks for continuing to read my book. Okay, chapter four already. Sorry if this chapter kind of drags a little. I'm thinking about rewriting it, seeing as this one was my least favorite to write so far. Tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is good. Let me know me know what i can do to improve it. I'm also open to any ideas for the book so far. Please read and reveiw. Thanks. :)

Song to listen to:We've Got a Big Mess on Our Hands- The Academy Is

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**Chapter Four**

Light filtered through the planks of fallen wood and debris. A thick cloud of dust hung in the air. Lily coughed the grime out of her lungs, feeling like a two ton brick had just fallen on her. She blinked until all the filth was gone from her eyes.

Lily tried to sit up, and did so on the second attempt, brushing side a few small shards of wood on top of her. She felt somewhat lightheaded, and assumed she probably hit her head in the crash. She groaned and coughed once more as she stretched her arms out, checking for damage.

The dust was beginning to settle but Lily saw no sign of the mysterious stranger that was there only moments ago. _Maybe I got knocked out… Or maybe I'm just now waking up from a dream or something… Maybe I've been out for hours… and he already left. _He. She remembered him now. _He_ had ran at her, she felt the impact, and… Then the roof fell in.

_He saved me_, she thought as she took a first good look around. The ceiling right above where she had been previously standing was no more. In its place was a gaping hole, through which the moon now shone brightly. And on the ground beneath it lay a chaotic pile of rubble. _Ooooh shit…_ Lily thought as she noticed a corner of a black leather overcoat under the broken half of the rafter. _Oh, no. Shit, no. This _cant _be happening._

Lily stood up, her legs sore from a few minor bruises. She would make it out of this, she knew that. But she hoped she could say it was only a few minor bruises for the guy who saved her life.

She ambled over to the mound of debris, just when she saw something, someone, moving under the part of the beam that was still intact. And there, she spotted his spiky blonde hair. _Great! I've killed my rescuer. And I didn't even get his name yet…_ She bent down and grabbed underneath the wooden beam, and pulled up on it, but it was no use, it was too heavy for her to lift on her own.

"Are you okay? Hey, can you hear me? I-I'm s-… Lemme try to lif-" Lily rambled as she feared she might have killed him. She heard her friends coughing as they made their way into the building, if you could call it a building still.

"Lily! Lily! Are you okay?!"

"Please tell us you're alive! Lily!"

"Oh shut up. She's alive. Look!"

"Give it a rest already Brooke! Stop telling us to shut up! How about you shu-"

"Nooo, I mean shut up and look! She's right there!"

"Oh…Well I mean-"

Lily, shaking her head, looked at her three friends standing in what used to be the doorway.

"Lily! You're alive!"

"Hey, guys! Give me a hand here, will ya?" Lily gestured to the plank of wood resting on her would be-rescuer.

"Why do you wanna lift tha- Oh my gosh! Is that someone under there?"

"Just help me, please!"

The three hurried to help, Chloe, the sweet natured helpful one, being the first to reach Lily. Amber, the quick thinker, directed the others to spread out, two on each side of the beam, and they all grabbed hold of the rafter and lifted.

"This guy must be out cold to not hear us or anything. Either that or he's, well…" Chloe trailed off.

"It's too heavy!" Brooke groaned as she began to loose her grip.

"Don't you dare drop that, Brooke," Lily threatened.

"If you drop that side we won't be able to hold it up," reasoned Amber.

Brooke strained, and the group saw her fingers slipping. "I-I'm gonna-"

_THUD!_

"-drop it…" she finished.

"Great now he probably _is_ dead!" Lily was furious.

The rest stared down at the mass of black overcoat and bleach blonde hair. He moved. His head turned to the side, his eyes scrunched.

"Oh my gosh, he's alive," whispered Chloe.

"I guess that must've woken him up, eh hehe…" Brooke laughed nervously. Chloe and Amber just stared at her in disgust. But Lily was kneeling down staring intently at the boy's closed eyelids, as if she were willing them open, she longed to see those ocean eyes again.

And, finally, her wish came true. His eyelids parted, revealing those blue sea glass eyes. He drew in a deep breathe loudly, gasping, as if he was holding his breathe.

"Ar-are you okay?" Lily began.

He moved his arms out to the sides of him and looked as if he were going to try to get up. He pushed off of the ground, the four girls ogling him, and the wooden rafter finally budged. He kept pushing until it eventually gave way and tumbled to the side, causing another dust cloud to rise.

The four girls gaped at him. He half lay there, half sat, his body being held up by his arms, his head facing the ground. He coughed, then ever so slightly turned his head toward Lily.

"I thought I told you to move,"

Lily blushed, knowing it was really her fault for not getting out of the way even when she was warned. She couldn't answer. All the other girls looked at her, utterly confused.

"I-I…" She paused. "I'm sorry. I sort of um, panicked, so-"

"So you just stood there?" He sounded slightly irritated, but his voice was mostly calm.

"Yeah…" She sighed. There was a pause. He wouldn't make eye contact with her, led alone her friends. So she asked a question, the answer to which she had been dying to know. "Why were you here, anyways?"

He slowly stood up, taking care to keep his back towards the group, who watched him with concern. He cradled his left arm, which Lily assumed to be broken or sprained.

"I could ask you the same question." He smirked a little, paused, asif remembering something, and started for the doorway.

"Wait!" Lily called; she couldn't bear to have him leave, not yet at least.

He looked back over his shoulder, those piercing blue eyes boring into her own brown ones.

"Can't you at least tell me your name?" She wondered, hopeful he would answer.

He looked at her, a crooked smile formed on his lips.

"David."

And with that, he walked out the doorway where he disappeared into the night, leaving four girls wondering what the hell just happened.


	6. Brown Eyes

Heyy again guys. Sorry for takin so long! and for such a short chapter... I got writers block or somethin. But i promise next chapter's gonna be a lot longer. Thanks for sticking with me! Please read and review. Thnks :)

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Chapter Five**

Self control; it was a strange thing. Sometimes he felt as if he could withstand anything, and other times he would give in at the faintest sign of getting what he wanted. Maybe the falling rafter knocked some sense into him, he thought. Or perhaps it was those deep brown eyes that held his gaze, eyes that reminded him so much of a lost love. A love that had betrayed him, not that it mattered much now…

But none the less, it made him remember that for the past three years he had been hunting, he had hunted alone. For a short time, he had a companion, a young boy about the age of sixteen that he had turned. The boy was reckless, stubborn and rash, a deadly combination for a vampire. And in this case, deadly meant that the boy was now dead. David recalled the terrible night when blood stained the streets, scarlet washing over the dingy gray city sidewalks. That night, he had elected to travel alone, hunt alone, sleep alone. But that was years ago, and now he was beginning to waver on that decision.

He was tired of hiding all the time, from everyone, everything. He wanted someone to be with. And, he always did have a weakness for brown eyes…

And then he felt the hunger, gnawing at him, growing, and strong as ever.

He let his thoughts drift away, as he listened for his prey, his next kill. He closed his eyes, and tilted his head slightly to the side, his blonde spikes reflecting the moonlight. He stood in the woods just beyond the fields that surrounded the Emerson home. A twig snapped, breaking the silence. His eyelids shot open. This time he hunted, he would kill.


	7. Insomnia

Hello again!!! Sooo sorry for taking forever to get back to this story. Ugh, i've had writers block for a month now, but ive finally written something decent!

Oh, and thanks everyone for the awesome reviews! You guys rock!

And just a little warning, this chapters kinda gruesome, so those with weak stomachs, you have been forewarned. (but really its not that bad ;p)

Oh and im still open to any comments, or suggestions for the story so far. Constructive criticism is okay, too!

And, so, without further adue,

Heres the long-awaited(srry agian) chapter six of young blood!

Please Read and Review!

Enjoy!

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**Chapter Six**

The silvery moon, held high in its jealous sky, shone brightly, casting shadows all over the peculiar city of Santa Carla. The night life was all around, bars were still open, music blaring and smoke seeping through the door and outside to the desolate streets. The pungent scent of alcohol lingered in the air, a familiar smell to residents of this eccentric town. The wind blew very gently, barely a breeze drifting through the boardwalk, between the houses, over the rolling hills of the few farms left on the outskirts of this thriving city.

Lily ruffled her short blonde hair with one hand, and brushed the dirt off her shirt, trying to conceal tonight's events from anyone that might still be up when she snuck back into her house. She stood rigid, outside the two story old red brick house in front of her. Two white columns rooted in the porch held up the balcony above. She checked the windows for any sign of movement or light. The windows were shadowy black holes in the walls of the home. Inside the house, it was just as dark as it was outside, if not darker.

Lily slowly made her way to the porch. The second step creaked in a familiar way, something that made her know and feel that this was home. She cautiously put a hand, chilled from the night air, to the bronze door knob and turned it. She opened the door. Immediately, a rush of warm air hit her and she stepped inside, gingerly shutting the door behind her, almost, reluctantly, secretly longing to go back out there, through the town and the woods, back to the Emerson home, where she met…David… The name settled in her mind, echoing. She'd cherish it, remember it, and perhaps some day meet its owner once again.

Lily searched for the light switch in the dark, groping along the walls, lumbering down the hallway. Her foot hung in the air for a moment then she brought it down. A sharp yelp rang through the house. Lily froze.

She looked down to see a ghost gray dog staring up at her with soft blue eyes. She reached down to pat his head, whispering sorry to him, for stepping on his paw. She began to make her way down the hall again. The dog barked, wanting attention.

"Boomer, hush! Please? Just this one time. Sorry, boy." She said under her breath, not wishing to wake the house. The grey dog, a weimeraner, stared up at her with big, longing eyes, then turned away and laid down again, with a yawn and a lazy loll of his tongue.

Lily thought to herself about her friends, and hoped they had made it home alright. They departed in different directions in the front of their sub, and that was the last time she saw the three girls.

Lily went up the stairs, and quickly made her way past her older brother's room and her little sister's and on to hers. She shut her door behind her, sighed and hung her purple hoodie up on her closet door.

She slowly made her way to her window seat, not bothering to turn the light on. Shoving the decorative star and heart shaped pillows away, she climbed up on it, and curled her knees up to her chest and rested her arms upon them, her back leaning against the wall. Lily pulled the dark purple velvet curtain aside and looked out the tall rectangular window behind it. Judging by how light it was getting outside, it must have been pretty late, she thought, or really early.

She leaned her head against the cold glass of the window, and took in a deep breath, then closed her eyes.

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The warm scent of a fire awoke her. She realized she was laying spread eagle on something hard, and rough, and cold. A twig snapped somewhere not far off in the distance. Her eyes shot open. She sat up, looking about her. A dense green fog clung to the air, and the ground was a muddied brown. She blinked a few times, squeezing her eyes tightly together, and when she opened them again, her vision was clear. She sat in the woods, it was about early morning, and the sun could barely be seen over the tree line. Her back ached, probably from sleeping on the ground, she assumed.

_How the hell did I get here?_ She wondered. She was still in her jeans and hoodie from last night. She stood up carefully, cautious of straining her sore back. And then she smelt it again, the smell of a campfire or a brush fire, drifting along the forest air. It was an inviting smell, one that made you want to follow it. And so she did. She stumbled along the maze of a forest, tripping over a few roots and rocks along the way. She stared straight ahead, like she was in a trance. Her eyes glazed over, and her ears rang with a noise that was unnatural to the nature around her. Music. But not just any music, it was rock, 80's rock. A bit screechy, but the melody seemed to draw her in, and it got louder and louder the further she lumbered into the depths of the woods. And the smell got stronger and stronger. And her feet got heavier and heavier.

And then she stopped abruptly. She could see smoke ahead of her. But her mind was numb, she was going by instincts now. Something wet dripped on her shoulder, making her jump. She turned her head to look at her shoulder, to see a red pool of something trickling down her arm. She froze, in terror now, and raised her head to the sky, to the tree tops were the blood had dripped on her.

A massive black thing seemed to rest in the tree branches. It was oddly shaped, as if it were two or three things instead of one. Lily closed her eyes, and turned her head forward again. _It's not real. It's not real. It's not blood. It couldn't have been. It's not real… _She kept telling herself that, chanting it over and over again in her mind.

She walked forward again, following the music. There was a sort of wall of trees up ahead, which she sidestepped around and stopped again. Her nose filled with a horrible pungent scent that made her gag and want to never smell again. It was like burning hair…or burning flesh. She stared straight ahead of her, her eyes locked on a massive fire. The flames consumed a grotesque pile of things; she couldn't quite tell what they were. And then she saw him. The man in all black with the moonlight in his blue eyes, the one who had saved her life and almost lost his, the one called David. Only, he had a horrid cunning smile on his face, and his head cocked a little to the side, a red liquid dripping from his lips, and on his teeth, and down his neck…

There were others behind him, that somewhat resembled how he dressed, how he acted, but they were like shadows next to the trees. There were three others, four including him. Another trickle of blood hit her shoulder, and she looked up to the trees. And everything became clear to her. Corpses, mutilated, were piled in the tree branches. The gut wrenching odor came from the fire. And in the fire, there was a sight that made her drop to her knees, tears started welling up in her eyes. She looked in the dancing red flames, and saw a hand, lying limply on the ground underneath the pile.

At once, the shadows near the trees launched at her seeming to engulf her, her vision was blurred again. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth together, holding back tears, and waited for her death….

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Her death did not come. She opened her eyes again, and found herself curled up in a ball on her window seat, a pillow clenched in her hands. She gasped for breath as if she hadn't got a proper amount of fresh air in years. She raised her head to her window, too afraid to look around her room. It was almost light out, maybe six or seven in the morning. It was the weekend, so she figured she could still get a few hours of sleep.

But she didn't really want to go to sleep. Not after that. The images still scarred her mind. The fire still seared her. She was utterly afraid. She just tried to keep her mind blank, not wondering about the dream, for fear it would dredge up those horrid images.

Lily pressed her cheek up against the cold glass of her window again, and lay there. She refused to close her eyes. She didn't want to slip into that terrible dream again…

Outside her window, and down into her yard, and through the first layer of trees in the woods around her house, a figure stood, leaning against a tree, unseen to Lily. He leaned against the think trunk of the tree, nonchalantly, but a scowl, a look that said he was in pain, mottled his perfect face. His gloved hands were clenched in fists, and his dark overcoat was drawn up around him. He looked to the sky, which was quickly growing brighter. He turned, and disappeared into the dark of the woods.


	8. The Enigma that is Santa Carla

Heyy agian guys! Yeah, again, i'm very sorry for the absence of updates to this story, i've had alot to do lately. But here it is finally. Oh and i havent had internet for a few weeks. And i know what youre all thinking: Excuses, Excuse. Right? lol.

Well, anyway, thankyou for the great reviews! and dont worry, i wont abandon this story, its got alot of life still in it. And all you who have been reviewing every chapter and keeping up with it, thank you so much! You guys are the reason i write! Thanks.

So, anyway, heres chapter seven of Young Blood. Enjoy! Please read and review!

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ps: if you guys dont like cliff hangers, well then youre gonna really love this chapter! ;p sorry, enjoy anyway!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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**Chapter Seven**

Sunday morning came all too early for Lily. She could feel the sun beating down on her from outside her window. She lay on her stomach, face smothered in a pillow. Her eyes were still shut, and now, contrary to last night, she refused to open them.

She pulled her blanket up around her shoulders. The question of how the blanket got there drifted through her mind, and just for a second she wondered if _he_ had put it there. It was ridiculous to assume such a thing, even for a moment.

The wood floor creaked, somewhere in her room. She heard it getting closer, and she heard restrained breathing, like someone was trying to go unnoticed. The next thing she knew, she felt warm breath on her neck that sent shivers down her spine. A wave of fear swept over her, although she did not know why she should be afraid.

She turned her head slightly, but her face was still buried in her pillow. A soft chuckle echoed through her ears, warm breath on her face. She knew the voice.

"Jeremy! Get out of my room! Go back to bed or something!"

"Well I can't help it if the high and mighty princess had to sleep until one o'clock because of last night's escapades!" Her brother teased.

"What? You knew about that? What did you hear?" She demanded.

"Hmmm well I heard you sneak back in at about 4 in the morning. Oh, and, you were screaming in your sleep. Weeelll, it wasn't really screaming it was more of moaning, and you were yelling things out. Almost woke up the whole house. You should be thanking me, really. You'd be surprised how quick someone stops talking in their sleep with a good punch to the side."

"Why in hell would I be thanking you? And what _exactly_ did I say?"

"Oh, nothing. Just screaming things like 'fire!', 'help, save me', in a pathetic little voice, that sort of thing." He shrugged, and gave her an innocent look. Lily cringed, skeptically.

Her brother plopped down on her bed, nearly missing her legs which she curled up quickly. He sat cross-legged, absent mindedly twirling around a loose thread on Lily's quilt.

"_So_, little sister, who's, uh, this _David_ character?" He asked, oh so nonchalantly.

Lily sat up and crossed her arms, glared at him, giving her brother the "Death Stare", "_What_ did you say? I'm sorry, for a moment I thought you rattled off some random name I believe I have know idea whose it is."

She turned away, her arms still crossed, and pointed her nose towards the air. In an instant, Jeremy flopped over on a pillow, wrapping his arms around it and laying on his stomach.

"_Mmmm_ this is juicy, stuff, eh? _Sooo_ where'd you meet him?" He paused then gasped, and abruptly said in a very gay voice, "Is it serious?!"

"Jeremy!! You retard! Why don't you go screw your boyfriend and leave me alone?" Lily yelled as she chucked her pillow at him, which he caught quite agilely.

"Hmmm, I might have to take you up on that offer." He grinned a big, toothy smile, and winked at her, then got up to leave.

Lily rolled her eyes, she loved him and hated him, and couldn't live without him. _Ah, brothers, you either want to kill em, or hug em, _She thought. Jeremy was at best a jokester, and couldn't help but teasing Lily every chance he got. Although most of his jokes were good-natured, sometimes she wondered if he was always kidding. But it still made her smile, every time she saw his blue eyes light up with a playful glimmer to them, as his messy tawny blonde hair hung in his face.

"You know, sometimes I'm almost led to believe you _are_ gay!" Lily hollered after him.

"And sometimes, I'm led to believe you're adopted, lil' sis, but we can't all live on assumptions, now can we?" He called out, and shut the door behind him, "Come get some lunch before Violet gets it all, she eats like a pig ya' know."

" 'Kay." She said, shaking her head, with a good-natured smile on her face. Her little sister Violet, was the sweetest creature ever known to man, such was the thoughts of anyone who knew her, and her brother and sister simply adored her; she could do no wrong. And as far as names went, apparently their parents had a thing for flowers. Violet, Lily, and their cat, Poppy, all named after your garden variety blossoms. _Go figure._

Lily yawned, and threw off the blanket, grabbed her soft, baggy gray hoodie and threw it on over her tank top. She opened the door and plodded down the stairs, her feet still heavy from sleep. The thick, warm smell of grilled cheese sandwiches wafted up from the kitchen, and filled Lily with a newly realized hunger.

She was greeted first by her red cheeked, strawberry-blonde haired mother, whose name just happened to be Rose, following her family's hippie sort of name trend. Her black cat, Poppy, brushed against their legs hoping for a bit of leftovers, but not begging like the ghost grey dog did. Lily's father was at work, and would be until five. Lily patted her sister's curly blonde hair, and tentatively adjusted her small purple bows. Violet, only being seven years old, had an extremely good fashion sense for someone of her age, another quality that seemed to run in the family.

After a quick lunch, Lily picked up her plate and set it in the sink and grabbed her cell phone from off the counter which she had not taken with her last night.

She paused for a moment as she headed toward the front door, reliving the night's events, and remembering the perfect face with the crooked smile, and the spiked blonde hair that seemed to catch the moonlight in each glimmering strand, and the black clothes that cloaked him well, and left more questions to be answered. _David. Yes, that was it._ How could she forget it?

She broke out of her thoughts, feeling her mother's eyes on her, and walked out the front door, closing the ornately carved door behind her, and opening her phone, checking for messages from her friends. She saw a missed call from Chloe, who, knowing her sweet nature, probably called to check up on her, make sure she was alright.

She dialed her number on the keypad and waited to hear the familiar sound of the phone dialing.

* * *

After Lily had returned each of the girl's overly concerned messages, who turned out didn't have anything of much importance to say, just gossip and curiosities about Lily's strange acquaintance, she finished her homework up, which took more time than Lily would have wished. The rest of the evening consisted of teasing Jeremy and countering his insults, and just relaxing through the last waning bit of the weekend. She now sat on the porch swing that hung between two trees in the back of her yard, just on the border of the woods. It was about seven-thirty now, and the fall leaves were tinted by the dark orange color of the setting sun, and the ambient light of dusk.

Dark was already upon the illustrious buildings of strange Santa Carla, and the night life was just beginning in the bars and clubs and carnival of the boardwalk. And part of Lily wished she could just forget her all too normal life, and live on the edge, on the boardwalk every night, staying out late every night, carefree, with the only worry in the world being the wrath of the rather slacking cops of this city, seemingly untouched by the changing ways of the world. Part of her longed with a pain in her heart for adventure, the thrill of the chase, the thrill of the hunt, the thrill of the sin. And, then, there was the part that would miss home and all she ever loved and cherished, and her logic and rationality pulled her heads out of the clouds and back down to earth, back into this little suburbia subdivision of the enigma that was, Santa Carla, so called murder capital of the world.

And, at that very moment, as Lily pondered her hometown and her lust for adventure, when her parents and both siblings were safe and oblivious inside the front living room of their house, Lily saw a flash of black and a small streak of white out of the corner of her eye, in the woods behind her. She turned in an instant, and saw a familiar face, bearing a numbly crooked smile, staring straight back at her.


	9. Victims of Time

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Chapter 8 already!! lol. This ones in Davids point of view, since i haven't put it in his perspective in a while. i just guess i mustve lost my writers block all of the sudden, cause i'm writin' like crazy now. The next chapter should be out soon, but no guarantees. sorry, :(

Thanks for the great reviews and sticking with me and this story.

Aaaand, here's the next chapter of young blood:

Please review!!

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Chapter Eight

The warmth of fresh blood trickled down his throat, coating it in the sticky red liquid that glistened on his pure white fangs and dripped sickly down his neck, and he loved it. The power in it, the victory, the pleasure. He knelt over his kill, the gory mass of flesh lay mangled on the outskirts of the boardwalk. The worst part of the hunt was over, and now David relaxed his muscles and let the blood seep into his veins, restoring him. He enjoyed the supremacy it gave him to purge a mortal of their futile, frivolous life. And yet he was still left to wondered about_ this_ side of him, the brutality, the viciousness, the evil that lay dormant inside of him, until, he hunted. His nonchalant-ness, his calm, was the only thing that seemed to keep him sane, being _what_ he was.

The human blood he had consumed, filled him more than animal blood ever could, and there was no way to be caught this time. He was much more careful with this kill. In seven years, he'd learned a lot. In the seven years he'd been without his clan, his brothers, away from his kind, his heart had softened and calloused and softened again, with no one to question him, with no one to answer to, he truly could do whatever he wanted to, be the way he wanted to be. But, clan or not, he was still David, and nothing would ever change that, and he was glad.

But he felt something coming, a great change on the horizon, he sensed it, and he already knew of the young, rouge vampires that swarmed the city. There was no unity in them; they were just quarreling gangs, only four or five strong each. He had no reason to fear them. Divided as they were, they posed no threat, but he knew of one who could, under the right circumstances, unite them, bring them together in a force no single vampire, no matter how strong or old, could defeat. And he also knew that said vampire thought of _David_ as a threat, and that might mean he would have a uprising on his hands if he wasn't careful where he hunted and how far away he stayed from the rogues. They knew no rules, no laws, held no standards, such was this new generation of vampires, which was growing rapidly. Life for a vampire was about to change, and not necessarily for the better.

But tonight, David shifted all these warning signs of the war that was to be waged between new and old cultures and generations of vampires, because tonight he was going to see those brown eyes again, he had to, something compelled him to see her again. After all, she had saved his life. At least, that's what he let her think.

The moon was a crescent tonight, gleaming brightly in the violet sky, and reflecting on the navy blue ocean. Music drifted off the boardwalk and carnival down to the beach below, where David stood over his lifeless prey. His nose finally cleared of the rusty scent of blood, and he could finally smell the scents of the pier and the salty ocean water. He stared down at the bloody mess for a moment, a slight smile playing at the corners of his lips, then began to drag it to the dark waters. He cast it into the black waves, flaunting his unnatural, vampiric strength.

He wiped the blood off his face with his thumb and forefinger. He might as well not scare the girl half to death. And at least now that he had fed, the hunger would be tame enough for him to carry a normal conversation without a constant stream of thoughts of draining her blood.

He began his ascent into the woods. He chuckled quietly, to himself. _It was tough being a vampire._


	10. First Impressions Last

Ugh, this chapter bugs the hell out of me! i have no idea why but, well, i dont beleive i did david any justice by this part of the story... i dont believe it truly followed his character as well as it has before.... plus it is _extremely_ difficult to write proper dialogue for characters like him... well, it is for me atleast....grr. *sigh* maybe its just me nitpicking my own work, you kno, perfectionist and all.... :3

I suppose i'll let you guys be the judges of that. i may later come back and revise this chapter anyway..... Anywho, enough of my ranting and nagging, and now for the revealing of Chapter Nine. Thanks for the awesome reviews, guys! And putting up with me and this story! Please feel free to review agian....lol.

Enjoy! :D

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Chapter Nine**

His face was shrouded by darkness, his body cloaked in black, his unnatural presence was filled with a sort of intrigue and mystery that drew you in and made you feel like your heart couldn't keep up with the steady beat of inquiries that flowed through your mind.

Lily's pulse was unsteady and her jaw hung slightly ajar as she wheeled around to see him, leaning indifferently against a large oak tree on the outskirts of her yard and the edge of the forest. A soft gasp escaped her lips, and she tried to muffle it.

His eyes scanned the horizon, fixing themselves on the last withdrawing beams of light from the retreating sun; a sort of pained longing withheld itself in the clear blue pools of his eyes. The red glow clung to the sky, contrasting the navy purple of the evening, as if a last attempt to live on through the night, but some things are just not meant for the night. His bright blue orbs finally met Lily's green eyes. He held her gaze for a few moments that felt like hours to Lily, then stared out at the distant sky again, which was now almost completely devoid of the orange glow of the sunset.

He opened his mouth a bit, but he made no attempt to speak.

"David?" Lily finally uttered, shakily, breaking the silence which she felt to be awkward, and he did not. And immediately after saying it she felt young and ignorant, and realized it was kind of a "no duh." sort of thing. It also felt strange to her to call him by his name, although she did not know why it would.

He immediately gave her his attention, shifting his position a bit.

"I never got your name." His sentence trailed off slightly at the end, and his lips parted revealing his brilliant, compelling smile. He said it, as if it justified the fact that somehow he had managed to seek her out and find where she lived, which, when one thinks about it, is quite peculiar…

"Oh…Its, um, Lily…Lily Monroe…" She suddenly felt self-conscious and somewhat inferior.

"H-How," she began again, "Did you find me?" Not that she minded his finding her…

There was a pause.

"I have a way of finding things." David looked away again, he knew his "people" skills were a bit rusty. He reveled in the memories of his more chivalrous days, so long ago, when he was the top dog, ruling over the surf Nazis, the coolest guy around. How had he become so antisocial?

Lily finally dared to ask a question she'd been pondering the answer to, "How come you were in the old Emerson house, anyway? Last night?"

"Curiosity," He looked down for a second, then looked her straight in the eyes, "Gets the best of all of us, doesn't it?" He smiled a crooked smile, seeming to find some sort of humor in his words.

"And you?" he asked.

"Oh, um, well it was sort of a… dare…. My friends didn't really put me up to it…" She smiled, a bit of pride still in her, "They were just too scared to do it."

In an instant, David was resting his elbows on the edge of the porch swing, leaning them on the back of the swing, next to Lily. She muffled another gasp; he was quick, too quick, something about him scared her a little.

"And you weren't?" He said it as more of a fact than a question, bearing just a hint of a smile. He was closer now, and Lily could smell something on his breath, a sort of pungent, rusty odor. Not entirely unpleasant, but strange none the less. But David himself had the scent of aged spice, sort of antiquey, a sweet, enticing smell Lily could not help but noticing.

She lost her composure for a moment, but quickly regained it, slightly tilting her head to the sky, proudly.

"No." she said, defiantly.

He grinned again, quietly chuckling to himself.

Unsure what to say, Lily racked her mind for more trivial things; she did not want him to leave. Or think her shy, for that matter.

"I don't think I've seen you in town before… D-do you live around here?"

"You could say that." He scoffed.

"You go to Santa Carla High? That's where I go."

He paused, looking down again, half smiling. _Was there some inside joke I'm missing?_ Lily wondered.

"No…I don't go to school. No, not here."

"Graduated?"

"In a way, I suppose. Graduated is such a broad term."

Now he was starting to scare her a little. But the first thing that came to mind was a high school drop out, troublemaker for sure… but then again, he_ had_ saved her life. So he couldn't be all bad, could he? She thought about that again, and realized she had never even thanked her rescuer.

"Um, thank you." His eyes flicked back to her face. "For, well, uh, saving my life… I guess I kinda owe you now, don't I?" She smiled, gently, nervously.

"I guess you do." He grinned again. "How about this, you let me take you out one night. For a ride." A quizzical look came over Lily's face. He smiled wider. "I've got a pretty wicked bike, you can hear it from a mile away. I think you'd like it, Lily."

She couldn't help but smile when he said her name, the way it just rolled off his tongue like they'd known each other for years, like old friends. The fact that she barely knew this guy, just hardly crossed her mind. Lily, being different as she was, didn't always get a lot of attention from guys, like her friends usually did, and she was just a _bit_ desperate… And couldn't resist the offer. Plus, she loved motorcycles. They were a sort of guilty pleasure of hers.

So, against her better judgment, Lily said, "I think I'd like that." She grinned slowly.

Then, she heard a screen door creak open and slam shut, seeing a silver ghost streaking towards her out of the corner of her eye, and turned in time to find out her dog was running straight towards them. And, Boomer, the "silver ghost", had a bad habit of jumping up on things…

"Boomer, No!" she yelled.

But it was too late. David's eyes widened and his smile faded slowly, as a huge grey dog launched itself towards the tree swing on which he was leaning. It jumped up on the bench on all fours next to Lily who tried to hold the dog back, which was going straight for David's face.

The sight Lily saw next made her laugh more than she had in a long time. David froze. Boomer was covering his chin in slobbery wet doggie kisses. David's expression was pure wide-eyed bewilderment, part of him looked like he was disgusted while the part looked like he was sort of angry.

Lily managed to grab her overly affectionate pooch by the collar and pull him off the bench and away from her rescuer's face. She was still giggling, while he still just looked disgusted.

"I guess he likes you." She smiled, snickering a bit.

David looked at her then down at the dog who was staring at him and wagging his tail, and back to Lily again, who was still smirking.

"Yeah, I bet he does…" He said begrudgingly, still getting over the initial shock.

"Aww come on, he's not usually like that with strangers. Its kind of weird for him to be so open with them."

David's one of a kind smile came back and he chuckled again, Lily laughing with him.

Lily released her hold on the dog's collar, and Boomer, looking offended, cautiously made his way over to David again, and sat by his feet looking up at him stupidly. David held his hand out for the dog to smell, like anyone does with a strange dog.

"Oh, he can't really smell, he was a police dog once. Got his nose burned and now he can barely breathe out of it." Lily corrected.

David nodded, acknowledging.

There was a brief pause of silence before someone from inside the house yelled out, "Lily, get inside! You have school tomorrow! Come on."

"Well…I-I guess I should probably go…" She said reluctantly. He turned his head towards her again and the moonlight seemed to glow in his bright eyes.

"Alright. I'll, uh, catch ya later then." He let his hand drift along the edge of the bench as he turned away. "Goodnight." He said softly, and then disappeared into the shadows of the woods.

"Goodnight…" Lily whispered.

She stood there for a while. Just, thinking. And half wondering if he would come back…

Boomer whimpered next to her, bringing her back into consciousness.

"What? It's your fault you know." He cocked his head to the side. "Oh, come on." She said as she gestured for him to follow her back to the house.


	11. It's Your Funeral

Woohoo! chapter ten! the big 1-0! lol. Just got done writing it, so here it is. please excuse the grammatical/ spelling mistakes...sorry.

Okay, to dress a few issues:

First, im now allowing anonymous reviews, so please, no flames!

Second, im still debating on this, but i may end up changing Lily's age back to what i originally planned it to be, 16. As of right now its 17, though.

Third, to clear up some confusion: No, Lilys brother is not gay. It was just sarcasm, people. sorry to any of you who wanted him to be. And no, i do not have anything against gays, its just that this particular character is not. thankyou.

Ugh... and lately the name Lily is about to drive me out of my mind. why did i ever choose that name? grr.... ':/

Okay, i think thats about it. Oh, and thanks for the awesome reviews agian!!! you guys are what keeps me motivated to write, so thanks!!! :D

Well, anywhoodles, heres chapter ten! da daa daaa daaaa!

Please Review!!! Thanks!!! :D

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**Chapter Ten**

School was a harsh awakening to reality after the weekend's strange events. The sun beamed high in the morning sky, rays of light passing through Lily's short strands of tawny blonde hair, and the brown streaks that ran through it, bleached at the tips. A cool wind rustled through the crinkled leaves on the ground, left over from fall. It was nearly winter now, and the ground crunched underfoot, as Lily made her way off the bus and across the school parking lot to the front doors.

She stared at the ground beneath her, dull gray blacktop that had been well worn by the years. But it wasn't really the ground that she was studying, she was lost in a tangle of thoughts and the sounds around her seemed to meld into one another and slowly fade away, leaving a droning high pitched noise that filled her head and made her mind go blank, all that was left was an unbearable pain inside her head. The pain spread, and seemed to flow out her ears; she couldn't think, couldn't speak, couldn't move….She just instinctively put her hands to her head and hoped desperately for it to end. She closed her eyes and when she opened them again, a gray vortex was suspended in front of her and in an instant she was sucked into it, she felt like her limbs were being ripped off, and stretched out unnaturally, like a giant vacuum was sucking her in, and, then, the pain dissipated.

Then

the world

went

black.

* * *

The pavement was cold and damp and uncomforting to the young girl who awoke on it. The air was moist; a misting rain was gently carried by the icy wind. Her wet cheek was pressed against the ground, her body sprawled belly down on the blacktop. Her body was numb, weak, and she felt light headed, not all there. Using what strength she had retained, she pushed herself off the ground with her arms and sat up. Her vision was blurry and she felt distant as her eyes focused and unfocused on shadows passing up ahead of her and the bright colorful lights that danced on the biggest of the shadows. But she could hear nothing, just the echo of her own thoughts and…silence. She closed her eyes, and when she reopened them, rubbing her forehead, she could see clearly again. The girl was in the Santa Carla High parking lot, away from the sidewalk that surrounded the front of the building. A siren now blared in the background. The clacking of shoes hitting wet cement sounded up ahead. The wind against the building and the cars rang in her ears.

Long, wet, tangled black hair flowed down from her head and around her shoulders; the girl placed a hand on it, tangled her fingers in it. She stared on up ahead. An ambulance was pulled in front of the school, a stretcher was being wheeled out, and the sirens stopped, but the lights still were on. A circle of people stood around something, but the girl could not see what. A line of police cars closed off the area. Curiosity arose in the girl and she stood up, wavering, and began to walk over to the area of attention. As she got closer, she began to see the faces of the people around, they all bore a grim look of despair. No one smiled. No one looked around. They just stared blankly down in front of them.

The girl was closer now, on the cement, walking towards the crowd.

She tried to speak.

"Excuse me? Hello? What's going on?" To each, she got no answer.

"What's going on?" She asked again. To her dismay, no one answered. But this time she noticed something in her own voice, and that was, well, that it _wasn't _her own voice. She didn't recognize it at all. "Excuse me?" She said, more to test out her own voice than to get the attention of others. But the person who spoke was definitely _not_ her.

She pushed her way through the crowd; people didn't seem to mind, or even notice, for that matter. A cop was rolling out yellow tape and placing it in a circular area inside the crowd. And then, the stretcher brushed past the girl, and all eyes followed it. A limp body lay on it, blood splattered, and halfway enclosed it what one could assume was a body bag. The girl took a step towards it, and saw the face…

It was a face she recognized. One she could point out anywhere.

It was her own…

She jumped back, startled, as a man in a uniform zipped up the bag, putting the face out of site, and wheeled the stretcher into the ambulance with no siren. Her eyes were open wide, her mouth open in awe. She looked down at the crime scene, the sidewalk was splattered with blood, and a pungent odor filled her nostrils.

She spun around quickly, her eyes following the ambulance as it drove away. The girl ran a hand through her long black hair. And, suddenly, in a moment of epiphany, realized that she did not have long black hair. She looked down at her attire, all black, a skirt, a jacket, and dressy black shoes, and a purple scarf, all of which she did not own. A wave of horror struck the girl, and she racked her brain for who she really was.

And she could not remember…

Then one name passed through her mind, in a fleeting moment as the girl closed her eyes. The name of the girl in the body bag. _Her_ own name.

_Lily. Lily Monroe._

* * *

Pain shot through her head. Her hands were still on it, her eyes still clenched shut. And she had just gotten off the bus, and was still in the high school parking lot. Lily opened her eyes and the pain went away. Kids were still going into the large double doors of the school up ahead of her, so she figured she wasn't yet late. She stood there, dumbstruck for a moment or two. Frightened of what she might see if she closed her eyes again. She blinked. Nothing happened.

This was not the first time she'd had a vision. When she was much younger, and got in trouble, she could occasionally see the outcome of her parents disappointment, whether she was to be grounded or sent to her room or not, and once, she had had a vision of the past, but only a few days into the past. But her visions were extremely rare, and had stopped for years, and she'd never had a vision in _someone else's_ body. She'd seen herself dead, and it was an image that was ingrained in her mind. And was likely to be that way for the rest of the school day.

Lily considered faking being sick and going home, but she wanted to see her friends after their weekend visit to the Emerson home. That, and the fact that the school nurse was a real stickler for making sure kids were actually sick before sending them home. So she trudged on, walking quickly past the spot of the crime scene in her vision.

She took a deep breathe, and pushed open the school doors.


	12. No Such Thing as a Good Monday

'Ello again guys! Long time no see, eh?

Alright, sorry this chapter took soooo long to write. I know its been a while, but i think this chapter turned out...um... well decent atleast. ;p

i've been watching the lost boys alot lately, trying to see how david acts around others he doesnt well know and how different he is around "the boys". And the frustrating part is they give no hint as to how david even met star, led alone how he acts around her when its just them together. Soo really, i didnt have much to base his dialogue off this chapter, so please forgive me if he seems a little off character! My apologies agian... :P Jeez, i feel like such a freak trying to analyze his character like this...lol. David was just meant to be drooled over by thousands of adoring fangirls, not analyzed! lol jk jk jk.... :3

Well, midterms are over now so ive had some time to write more on this, and im almost done with the next chapter after this one, so it should be out sometime soon too.

And, as always, comments, constructive criticism, questions, concerns, flying pancake jokes, etc. are welcome. :D Please review! And a big thanks to all the readers out there who have stuck with me and this story! Thanks again!

power to all the lost boys fangirls out there! woot woot! and all you fanboys too....you know who you are. ;3

Until next time,

-Savvy

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Chapter Eleven**

The soft melodies under the lyrics of the song put Lily at ease. She analyzed the music, feeling its layers, the bass, the beat, the words. She felt like a bit of a freak doing so, but it always had a calming effect on her. The air was cold in the high school bus, and she drew her coat tighter around her. Her iPod lay dormant in her hand, the headphones projecting her favorite songs into her ears. It had been a rough day at school, and she just wanted to get home. Although home probably wouldn't be much better.

Her friends had pestered her all day about David, but she decided it would be better if she didn't tell them he showed up in her backyard last night, which she herself had thought was quite strange. Her ears still rang with the numerous times lockers had been slammed in her face today. She was just so lucky to be given a locker right between two kids who had some sort of vendetta against each other since first grade when one stole the other's cookie their mom had made for them on their half birthday, and neither could be convinced to just freaking let it go already after about eight years since that "unforgivable" crime. On top of that, she'd completely forgotten there was a huge test today in math which she hadn't studied at all for. And it didn't help that math was her worst subject. And as if all that wasn't enough, the entire school day she had to cope with the image of her bloodied up dead body that she'd been just so blessed to see in a vision. To see it from another persons body was just plain freaky. And if this vision was anything like the ones when she was younger, it was likely to come true. That worried her the most.

Soon her thoughts became tangled with each other and the lyrics in her music, and the next thing she knew the bus driver was rambling on about the last stop and started coming down the aisle way towards her. He was a short, round man, with a face only a mother could love. Well, that was, if his mother was blind or delusional. Lily saw his mouth moving at an astounding pace, his jowls jiggling with the fat that clung to his neck. But no sound escaped his mouth. She saw his eyes grow wide, his jaw now hung agape. A pungent smell entered the air, and a red liquid dripped from the man's neck at a sickening rate. Lily frantically looked around the bus but no one was left on it. And soon the whole shell of the vehicle began to deteriorate; rust covered the metal frames around the windows. The blood now engulfed the driver's body, and he gurgled out something that sounded like, "Do you really know who he is?" Before Lily could ask, the driver fell to the floor with a thud, and the windows shattered, sending glass straight towards her. Just before it hit her face, reality came back to her, and she awoke to find herself sprawled out on the bus seat. The bus was empty except for her.

"Hey. Miss, look, I gotta schedule to keep, you can't just stay on the bus."

She sat up.

"Look kid, I can take you back to the stop next to the boardwalk but that's as far as I can go."

"Umm… Yeah, sure… Tha-that's fine."

Great, now she'd missed her stop too. And these visions were getting worse. _Could this day get any better?_

She spoke too soon. Not even a minute after she got off the bus, it started to rain.

* * *

It was cold, wet, and an all around ugly day. Her cell phone battery had died about half an hour ago. It didn't really matter though, Jeremy wouldn't pick up, and neither would her parents. The sun was about to set and she figured it was around seven o'clock. Lily sat on a bench on the outskirts of the boardwalk, watching the rain fall all around her, drizzling from the overhang of the walkway that shielded her from the weather. The setting sun left an orange cast to the horizon, and the streetlights began to light, one by one, signaling the beginning of the night life in Santa Carla. The carnival lights were almost mesmerizing, reflecting off the rain puddles in the streets and the glassy ocean water. A cold wind blew in from the coast, Lily shivered and pulled her jean jacket around her. This was turning out to be one of the worst days of the year. If not her entire life. She had no ride home, no money for a cab or bus, no way of contacting anyone(pay phones were out of the question). And just when the sun had set and Lily was at the peak of her despair, _he_ showed up. Leather jacket clad, and motorcycle roaring, there he was, in all his glory.

David sat, straddling his rumbling beauty, a vintage Triumph, by the looks of it. Lily sort of had a thing for motorcycles. Especially the old ones. He smiled, revving the engine just a bit, for affect. The nearly full moon sat low in the sky tonight, blotted out by purply-gray clouds, which reflected its light stunningly. The wet streets glistened, and the whole city seemed to be illuminated unnaturally, but wonderfully. The rain fell in perfect rhythm, catching the silvery moonlight in each drop. He was soaked, but didn't seem to mind. He smiled his extraordinary smile, and laughed low as he stared up into the sky for a moment, then looked at Lily, and cocked his head to the side a little.

"Need a ride?" His smile glowed.

The scene was old, like that of an old love story, one every girl has always dreamed of being caught up in, one that they know they have little or no chance of ever being in. Lily beamed, returning his smile. She knew this was her one chance. She'd never seen him this happy before, the last times she'd seen him he'd seemed so remote, almost unfeeling, like he was harboring some huge burden or grudge. And now, she couldn't help but be happy around him.

She stood up, "Yeah, that'd be great." She laughed almost nervously, looking around at the rain. "Guess I have to, don't I?"

"You did promise."

"Well, I don't remember actually _promising_…but…"

"Close enough." He said nonchalantly, smiling again.

He patted on the open space on the seat behind him, gesturing for her to get on. Lily breathed in deep, and walked to him, ducking out from underneath her rain shelter, and feeling the cool water run down her face. David watched her, as she got on.

"Hold on." he said over his shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him.

He gunned the engine, and the motorcycle sped down the road, and slowed a little as they turned toward the colorful lights of the boardwalk. The wheels hit the wood planks of the walkway, suspended over the beach. It was surprising how many people were still outside at the carnival in this weather. It was just like any other day to them, only a minority of people weren't here tonight. _What can I say, _Lily thought, _we lived in a diehard party town. _

"Where are we going?" Lily yelled over the roar of the engine.

"Anywhere." He replied.

The motorcycle slowed to a stop in front of the wooden stairs to the beach. "Ready?" He asked.

She hesitated. This was kinda crazy --setting aside the fact she had no idea where they were headed, and she barely knew this guy-- but she liked it, the thrill.

"As I'll ever be."

He laughed a little. Then revved the engine, and they were thrust forward, bouncing down the stairs, the wheels spinning as they hit the sand, sending it flying. The wheels caught and they were off again, racing down the midnight beach, the lights dancing on the calm ocean water. The rain began to stop, now just a warm mist. They rode down a straight away, the beach was open, the beach was theirs. Lily pressed her cheek up against David's back, gripping him tighter as the bike sped up. Underneath the thundering engine, and the wind whipping past them, Lily could hear a softer noise, a thumping. She listened closer. She could hear his heart. It was a cool feeling, to say the least, to hear someone else's heart beat, so close to her own. She suddenly felt a bit more at ease with him; he seemed kind of like the protective type, and she liked that.

Lily relaxed a little, sitting back in the seat, and watched the ocean speed past. She looked back, at the spray of sand behind them, and at the boardwalk, that was pretty far away by now. The bike turned to the right suddenly, veering away from the water, and towards a patch of forest up ahead. It was a rough ride, through the narrow clearing s in the woods, and the sharp twists and turns of an old trail. David seemed at ease here, like this place was his trail, like he'd been here a lot before. Finally the thick foliage opened up to a cliffside across from the old lighthouse, overlooking the water.

They sped dangerously close to the edge. Fear began to rise in Lily as the drop off drew nearer and nearer, she held her breath as the cliffs end was only feet away. David slowed the motorcycle, and pulled it into a sharp turn, as they skidded to a s

top, parallel to the edge now. He cut the engine, and the cliff was suddenly silent, and serene. He turned towards Lily.

"You okay?" His laugh sounded more like a scoff.

"Um yeah, I think so." She smiled nervously.

David helped her off the motorcycle, nearly lifting her off without any assistance from Lily.

"Enjoy the ride?" He asked.

She laughed, nodding yes. It'd been her first actual motorcycle ride because of her parents strict rules and lack of friends with working bikes. She had enjoyed every minute of it, the adrenaline rush it gave her. Her fear of not being in control of it just seemed to slip away. She made a mental note of getting a motorcycle when she finally got out of the house after high school.

She smiled, looking down, and brushed the hair out of her eyes, feeling sort of shy all of the sudden. "That, uh," she looked up at him, "was my first time on a motorcycle, you know."

"Really?" He asked, looking intrigued.

"Mmhmm."

"You don't seem like it. You seem a bit more…," He paused for only a second, "…experienced."

Lily smiled, looking away, the phrase was a bit suggestive, but she didn't think he really meant anything by it.

There was silence for a moment, the two standing side by side, David leaning back on the bike a little. Lily gazed out over the cliffside into the beauty of the night sky, the stars barely had time to start shining, and if you looked closely you could still see the low lights of the sunset clinging to the water's end. Lily slowly strolled closer to the edge, looking back over her shoulder.

"So…What's your story?" She turned and posed the question, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly.

"My _story_?" he scoffed, "Well, my dear, there's a lot to tell, isn't there?" He paused, looking thoughtful, "Where to begin?" he mused.

Lily, watched him for a moment, then glanced over to a hill-like rock formation on the edge of the cliff, she sauntered to it, and sat on its rim. "Well, you could start with how you came to live in Santa Carla…."

"Hmm, I could?" he said very dryly, _almost_ sarcastically.

"Or you could at least tell me why you were at an abandoned home in the middle of the night…and how you suddenly showed up in my backyard the next night, when you hadn't even got my name yet, how you found me." She pursed her lips, and turned her head towards him at the perfect angle, looking very innocent.

David made his way over to the rock she sat on and rested his elbows on it next to her.

"I already told you. I have a way of finding things."

"Now you see, you just can't be like that, or otherwise our relationship isn't ever going to go anywhere other than mutual acquaintances," she said, all in one breath.

He chuckled low, "Relationship?" He turned towards her, smiling, "Well, while we're criticizing each other's behaviors, I think _you_ take things too seriously."

Lily's smile turned into a grin now, as his did. She sneered, "Too seriously?" She laughed, "You haven't even had time to get to know me."

David leaned in closer to her, she didn't back away, "Well, maybe I _want_ to get to know you," He said as his smile faded a little, and he tilted his head towards hers more. Lily held her breathe, as his eyes caught her in a trance, he looked as if he was about to kiss her. She could feel his warm breath against her cold skin, she could smell its sweet aroma. His eyes flicked down to her lips, or was it her neck he was glancing at? Lily was caught up in those eyes, that swirled blue and green and rocked like the wild ocean below them, just like how there was a certain wild light to those crystal orbs.

David pulled back abruptly, not far, but enough to end the moment. Lily criticized her earlier words in her head, maybe she's come on too strong, but sometimes she just blurted things out without thinking it through and regretted them later, she thought to herself. She got wrapped up in her thoughts, and barely noticed when David said, "Sorry," softly. She supposed he must have noticed her silence.

"No, no… I mean, you didn't do anything. Sorry, just me and my big mouth again." She laughed, embarrassed, as she felt her cheeks blush.

He smiled a little. David looked like he was thinking about something, then he turned and leaned his back against the rock, sitting next to her. They both watched the sky, and there was just silence for a little while. The waves crashed against the shore, and the wind passed gently through the tree branches rattling the leaves, as the breeze carried along the smell of salt water and the beach. _It was so calm up here….almost like it was separate from the world… a getaway… _Lily thought. Her mind drifted towards home, and she remembered that well, absolutely no one knew where she was. She gasped out loud, and David turned towards her, the look on his face seemed like he was genuinely concerned if she was okay. Just the way he acted made her feel safe around him and she didn't quite know why. "You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I just remembered that, um, well, none of my family knows really knows where I am right now…" _Probably not the best choice of words…_she thought as she saw him raise an eyebrow, "I really should give them a call or something…My parents still freak if I stay out too late without telling them. I mean, I'm freaking old enough to take care of myself, but whatever… what time is it anyway?"

"Probably around nine," he sighed.

"Yeah…I should probably get home…" She was reluctant to go. Another crappy Monday had turned out to be a really great day and now it had to end.

"Hey, you want to get something to eat first?" Or maybe it didn't…

"Umm… well, I mean I don't really have any money on m-"

"Don't worry about it. Dinner's on me." He smiled his brilliant smile again, and Lily couldn't resist.

"Um, yeah. Alright. That would be great."

David got up and walked to his motorcycle, Lily tagging behind. He swung his leg over and got on, revving the engine. Lily got on behind him, and wrapped her arms around him, and they were off, heading back to the boardwalk.

When they got back, David helped her off the bike again and gently placed an arm lightly against her back.

"Come on," he said, "I know a great Chinese place."


End file.
